The former MP and MSP fell ill while giving a speech in North Macedonia.
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Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who for decades championed Scotland’s independence from the UK has died. He was 69.
Salmond, who was one of the most divisive figures in British politics at the turn of the century and who as the then leader of the Scottish National Party took Scotland to the brink of independence in the 2014 referendum, died in the North Macedonia lake-resort town of Ohrid, local media reported.
“Unfortunately, Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who was one of the panellists at yesterday’s cultural diplomacy forum that was held in Ohrid, died suddenly today," according to a statement from the office of former North Macedonia President Gjorgje Ivanov.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling him a “monumental figure" of both Scottish and British politics.
“He leaves behind a lasting legacy,” Starmer said. “As first minister of Scotland, he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history, and culture, as well as the communities he represented.”
Salmond served as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014, and was leader of the Scottish National Party on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000, and from 2004 to 2014.
He led the independence campaign in the referendum in 2014, but lost, gaining 45% of the vote, and subsequently resigned from the top job and replaced by his long-time ally, Nicola Sturgeon. Their subsequent split dominated Scottish politics for years.
Former UK Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Salmond was a “huge figure in our politics.”
"While I disagreed with him on the constitutional question, there was no denying his skill in debate or his passion for politics," Sunak said on X. "May he rest in peace.”
In 2019, Salmond was charged with sexual assault and attempted rape after allegations by nine women who had worked with him as first minister or for the party. Salmond called the charges “deliberate fabrications for a political purpose." Salmond was acquitted after a trial in March 2020.
A year later, he created a new party called Alba — the Scottish Gaelic word for Scotland — that made few inroads into Scottish politics and sought a new independence referendum come what may.
The current SNP first minister, John Swinney, said that he was "deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death" of Salmond.
“Over many years, Alex made an enormous contribution to political life, not just within Scotland, but across the UK and beyond," he said.
“He took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an independent country.”